1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette autochanger for automatically changing various cassettes each storing therein a recording medium, such as a tape or a disk, to enable a continuous recording and/or reproducing of the cassette for a long period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cassette autochanger for use in a television broadcasting station is known, which automatically changes tape cassettes relative to video tape recorders (hereinafter referred to as "VTRs") for continuously recording and/or reproducing data on a recording medium stored in each of the tape cassettes. More specifically, the known cassette autochanger includes a transfer machine disposed between a plurality of storage shelves holding therein a plurality of tape cassettes, and a plurality of VTRs constituting recording and reproducing apparatuses. A tape cassette is selectively taken out from one of the storage shelves and subsequently transferred to one of the VTRs by means of the transfer machine. The thus transferred tape cassette is then injected into the VTR and after that recording and/or reproducing operation is started. On the other hand, a tape cassette, ejected from the VTR after the completion of recording and/or reproducing operation, is transferred to and then stored in its original storage shelf by the means of the transfer machine. The foregoing operation is repeated to continue the recording and/or reproducing operation for a long period of time.
In the known cassette autochanger, when a power failure signal is detected before the cassette is fed out from the transfer machine to a VTR, the cassette feed-out or supplying operation is interrupted. On the other hand, when the power failure signal is detected after the start of the cassette feed-out operation, the cassette feed-out operation further proceeds to without interruption. Conventionally, due to the necessity of completing the cassette feed-out operation while a power supply is backed up, it is not possible to lower the cassette transfer speed. The tape cassette is, therefore, transferred at a high speed at all times.
In the conventional high-speed cassette transfer system, the cassette transfer mechanism and the tape cassette are subjected to undue load or pressure and hence the reliability and durability of these components are relatively low. In addition, the tape cassette while being transferred at a high speed is likely to produce fine particles of plastic or metal which might cause a dropout during the recording and/or reproducing operation.
In view of the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cassette autochanger which is capable of lowering a load on a cassette transfer mechanism and a cassette transferred thereby when the cassette is transferred from the cassette transfer mechanism of a transfer machine into a recording and/or reproducing apparatus.